Recountal
by M.L. Groves
Summary: Sometimes all a soul needs to remember what must be done is a moment of recountal.


_**Recountal: re-count-al [ree-kount-tl]  
Noun  
An act of recounting.**_

_**The Story of Link told through the spans of time and space. Check the official Zelda guideline and see if you can figure which path it's taking. **_

_**The Legend of Zelda is by no means, owned by me. (Except for the games on my bookshelf, but that doesn't count.)  
**_

_**Please enjoy.**_

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**Chapter 1: Subtle as a Snake:**

In hindsight, he should have had more coffee that morning. Or he should have never gone to that Museum. He wasn't sure what began his problems that day, but he was quite positive that both reasons were to blame. His lack of observational skills nearly crushed him under a falling crossbeam that would have forever made him known as the one guy who died while building a pavilion. Which consequently, would have ruined the Anniversary Festival for Hyrule Castle Town. Instead, he was on the ground, a little ways away from the very thing that nearly ended his life: and he was crushed beneath a larger body. If it had not been for the huge elbow blocking air from his windpipe, he might have been grateful. For now he was just stunned.

"Dammit, Rusl, keep a closer watch on your men! He could have died if it weren't for me. I thought you said you were professionals?" Now he wasn't sure, but that voice yelling in his ear sounded a lot like Mutoh, the foreman he was working for. The constant ringing in his head was making it difficult to tell though. Gasping, he struggled to move, but found his arms and legs wouldn't listen to him. For a moment of confusion, he almost thought that being tackled must have miraculously paralyzed him.

When the heavy body that held him moved away, he realized he could move after all. He would have been relieved, if he hadn't been gasping for air or was still too stunned to realize what had just occurred. Did Mutoh just save his life? Really? He'd never even noticed that crossbeam falling. Glancing quizzically towards the very ground he had once been on proved the assessment correct as there was a very large beam of metal embedded in the mud. That happened to be right where he had been standing. Blinking, he dazedly realized everything was blurry. Did he hit his head? No, he remembered as he yawned, he'd been seeing double all day.

He really shouldn't have skipped that pot of coffee this morning.

"I assure you, we are the best of the best in this city. In fact, I'm not even sure why you had to save him in the first place. Link is my best worker!"

"Are you calling me a liar, Rusl?!"

"Of course not, Mutoh, I'm stating that something is wrong with Link! He's usually far more alert than this."

Oh, they were talking about him were they? He shook his head to get his bearings straight and tried to see where Mutoh and Rusl were. If they were going to discuss his lack of reaction, then he might as well join in and apologize. Strange, when had he been sat down on a stack of boards? Things were moving quick on him today...

"Don't worry, I'll talk with him." The understanding and placating voice of Rusl reached him again and some of the dizziness seemed to dissipate.

"Kah! See that you do, I don't want anyone getting hurt on such a simple project, you hear me?"

"I understand, Mutoh."

He was certain that the very man who had so easily deflected the foreman's anger was going to beeline straight for him; which would have been silly, of course. He already knew that they were under time constraints and it really had been an accident. He wasn't even harmed! The very man who planned this project shouldn't have to trouble himself. He knew the risks and after a near death experience, he was certain to not let it creep up on him again. All he needed to do was just get some sleep and drink lots of coffee the next time he came in. That would fix everything.

Speaking of coffee, Link's mental calm gripped him in his shocked confusion as the very scent of the substance wafted to his nose. He looked down at a cup being held right in front of him and briefly wondered why he wasn't noticing so much today and gave a smile towards the person offering it. With hands that shouldn't have been shaking as much as they were, he accepted the cup and thanked the smiling woman who stood before him.

"You need to be careful, honey." She purred, winking. "We can't lose our strongest stud now, can we?" If he hadn't been enjoying the blissful feel of hot caffeine running down his throat he may have shuddered. That woman seemed to be a little too flirtatious.

"Don't worry." He found himself assuring with a hesitant smile, "it won't happen again." He ignored the brief thought in his head that claimed his statement a lie and took another drink of the heavenly cup she'd gifted him. "Thanks for the coffee."

"Don't thank me, hun, you looked like you needed it." She brushed him off and cast a look behind him. "I best get going now before Rusl sends me off. Don't be too hard on him now!" With a swish of her large hips, the woman took off towards the trailer where she'd possibly make more coffee and other things while Link wondered just how close Rusl was to them for her to speak to him directly.

"I swear that woman is psychic, how did she know to get you that cup?" He jumped when he realized the aforementioned Rusl was right behind him and with a jolt that almost spilled his heavenly savior he turned his head to stare at the man he called boss.

"Oh, Rusl, you're here already."

"The fact you're surprised I could walk ten feet in less than a minute concerns me." The elderly man responded, smiling a toothy smile that spoke of hard work and maybe a few brawls in his time. Shuffling on a stiff foot, he sat himself on the same boards Link sat on and frowned. "Now what happened out there?"

Link grimaced and made to take another drink, but the other wasn't having it. With a stern stare, the once-dazed carpenter sighed and opted to just stare into the black depths of his coffee. "As far as I know, Mutoh just saved my hide from being crossbeam smashed."

Rusl grunted and his look was dry. "Link, you're nearly as quick as a cat with reflexes that put all of us to shame. I know the foreman just saved your hide, I'm asking you why he even HAD to?"

Oh, right. That. Link thumbed the handle of his mug and let loose another yawn. "I haven't been sleeping well, but I thought I'd be fine. I didn't even notice the beam was falling on me until Mutoh already had me underneath him." The stare his boss gave him made Link want to choke on his own coffee or hide like a small child. He hated it when Rusl looked at him like that. It always made him feel like his soul was being squeezed and disciplined like a bad child.

"Go home." He said, Link sputtered and opened his mouth to argue, but the man continued. "I'm serious. This isn't like you. You've been making mistakes constantly all week and this just tops it. If you're having trouble sleeping, I want you to get home and knock yourself out if you have to. I want the Link I hired back come morning, do you understand?"

Link wanted to argue. He really did. He was perfectly fine! He could keep a better watch out now that he knew how serious it was! He wasn't some child that needed babying, most of all, he needed the money! He couldn't just leave in the middle of his shift! There were so many things he wanted to say, but all he managed to do was look slack-jawed as he stumbled over saying five different things at once. Inevitably, he conceded, nodding his head in defeat as Rusl slapped his back reassuringly and left to check up on the other workers. Link had to stop himself from tossing the soon to be empty mug into the ground. Shattering it would have been therapeutic, but Telma would strangle him if he damaged any of her dishes and he knew it.

Instead, he finished the last of the coffee despite the burn it gave him and left it by the trailer as he left. He'd go home and he'd sleep, just as Rusl said. He didn't want to burden anyone, let alone put his own job on the line. He might make a few detours along the way to his studio, but he'd get the rest he needed. Link was positive he'd be back to work in the morning just as bright-eyed and observational as he always was. Then Mutoh and Rusl wouldn't have to keep both eyes on him finally. That's what he decided and that was that.

He just hoped he wouldn't have to take a sleeping pill to actually get himself to sleep late. It wasn't that he couldn't sleep. The Goddesses knew he could fall into slumber at the drop of a hat, but his inability to sleep through sudden noise and other things often woke him up. To top it all off he was now dealing with the strangest of dreams...

He cursed his friend Malon under his breath. It was all her fault for taking him to that blasted Museum, he just knew it!

It had all started when the new exhibit opened a week and a half ago. Archeologists had discovered a ruin deep in the forests of Ordon that led scholars to believe there were more truths in the Legends circling Hyrule's history than many believed. Link never put much stock in the old stories. They were neat to think about as a child when the orphanage lost power or it was an exceptionally boring day, but other than that, it didn't get food in his stomach or on his table.

Link wouldn't go so far as to say he was all work and no play, far from it. Half of his friends complained that he was more a lazy dreamer than responsible. It was just silly to obsess over things that may or may not have happened some thousands of years ago. That's what Link thought, at least. How was worrying if a Hero of Legend truly existed or not going to help his current life and future? He couldn't find an answer to that and thus, the subject stayed lost to him. That is, until the exhibit.

"They say that they may have found the tomb of the Hero of Time! Isn't that exciting? Right there in the old temple in Ordon Woods, it was hidden behind the stairs they recently dug up, can you imagine?" Link's friend, Malon, found the whole thing amazing and romantic of course, so despite his reservations, he heard all about it.

"Isn't that the one that went back in time to regain his lost years before traveling to some weird parallel world?" Link had asked her drolly, eyes rolling at the absurdity. The once country-girl seemed to love those stories and pictured them in settings involving knights in armor and pretty white horses. Half of the time, Link figured she was more a dreamer than he, and that was saying something.

"Yes! Oh, you actually remembered! We should-"

He interrupted her before she went too far in her excitement, "So how could they find a tomb? I thought the story said no record ever mentioned where he was buried."

The glare he received was nothing but acid. They had been at the local coffee shop during this conversation and the calm atmosphere wasn't enough to tame her temper. With a huff and a flick of her hair she replied, "Honestly, Link, I swear you try to ruin everything for me! Maybe it's more of a memorial then a tomb, but who cares? They found artifacts that could have been items he used! They added it to the old Legend's Exhibit at the Museum. Oh, tell me you'll go, please?"

"Why can't you go on your own? I've got better things to do than stare at the past, Malon." Link managed to look guilty and apologetic all at once, nullifying the redhead's glare, but he truly didn't want to go. There was something about that building in the downtown district that made his hairs stand on end. It was probably just his disliking towards history, he thought.

She didn't let his disinterest sway her. "Link! Everyone is going to that Indigo-Go's concert! I can't just go by myself! You've been dodging going to that exhibit with me ever since it came out. By the Goddesses, I swear you are going and that's final!"

With cheeks puffed out in indignation and feet branded on the floor defiantly, Link didn't stand a chance. He was just too nice. He sighed regretfully and nodded his head in consent. There was no arguing with her when she was in this mood. At the sign of his acquiesce, she clapped her hands together and laughed in glee.

"I knew you would give in to me eventually!" She crowed, smiling warmly at him. "I'll make it up to you by giving you a free horse ride at the farm this summer, deal?"

Sadly, that did manage to up his spirits a little. Horse-back riding was a favorite hobby of his and it was hard to resist when he could do it for free. He cursed himself for giving in later though. The museum turned into a total disaster.

The worst part was that Malon didn't even realize just how bad it had ended: The poor, oblivious girl. Why couldn't he be like that?

It wasn't one of those instances that hit you dead on as soon as you walk into a room. It was one of those subtle snakes that bide their time before striking. Link had gone to the museum, just as Malon insisted. It was clean, orderly, and thanks to the concert, it wasn't even packed. (Then again, it could have been like that just for the sheer fact it was a museum, he mused.) He had to grudgingly admit that it was relaxing despite his lack of interest. However, Malon was excitable enough without him telling her that, so he kept that thought to himself.

They went through the city exhibits first: the one's that told more of Castle Town's history, of the royal family line and items used in the past for all sorts of occupations. Link had walked alongside Malon in silence as she gushed over the antiquated items and grinned when they came across a selection of masks that were once sold famously at the Happy Mask Shop of old.

"Ooh, I heard that these masks were once rented to people in order to sell them to the perfect person later! It was said to be the kookiest way to advertise back during the war with the Gerudo." Malon gushed while prodding the glass over a mask that resembled the terrifying face of a re-dead. Link opened his mouth to answer her, but instead found his eyes glued to the mask as his stomach did a flip-flop.

That's when it started, and he suddenly found it a little hard to swallow.

"Link!" Malon grabbed his hand, causing him to gasp as if cold water had been thrown over his person as she dragged him off. "Come on! I just found the entrance to the new exhibit, let's go!" She squealed her excitement.

He numbly followed with eyes still trained on the masks even as they rounded a corner and he could no longer see them. A strange feeling of dread was starting to boil in his gut and for a few moments, Link thought he was going to be sick. He was not prepared for what happened next.

Before he could get his bearings straight, they had entered a round room surrounded in glass cases. Banners of green, brown and gold adorned the walls and the Hyrule Family Crest glittered on the floor in a gigantic emblem. The middle of the room took all the attention for itself. It was a cylindrical tube housing a mannequin dressed for battle. Tattered green covered it and dirt splotches kept the hue from its usual brilliance. Rusted chainmail hung beneath it and the belts looked close to falling off the whole thing. It was an old outfit for a legendary adventurer and it looked the part, despite its frayed edges.

Malon stood in her place, mouth agape in awe. "They even found the remnants of his clothes… amazing. See Link, I told you this would be great!" Her voice was light, breathy as she seemed to get lost within her thoughts. There was nothing Link could add to that. He was too busy feeling like he'd just been punched.

He wasn't quite sure why he was reacting or what he was feeling. His chest seemed to swell and clench all at once and it became rather difficult to breathe. Looking at the decrepit tunic should have been boring to him, but all he could really think while his heart pounded in his ears was,_t__hat's__ not how it's supposed to look. It shouldn't be so tarnished!_

Then, he blinked, and his mind tripped over itself as he tried to sift through such a peculiar thought that couldn't have been his, right? He didn't have time to pull himself together before Malon was dragging him off again, around the room so they could observe the surrounding cases. It didn't matter that his back was turned to the centerpiece- he could practically "feel" the thing burning into the back of his neck.

"Malon," He tried to stop her, grinded his feet into the floor and pulled his best 'kicked puppy' look, "I'm not feeling so great, maybe we should-"

"No!" She snapped, the dreamy look was quickly replaced with pleading outrage. "We're almost done, just a bit longer, please?"

He almost panicked, but managed to smirk at her and shake his head. Maybe he shouldn't worry her, he thought. Maybe he was freaking out over nothing. He nodded his head silently to her and she relaxed once more, not even noticing the sweat on his palms or how his hands were shaking. Link was afraid to say anything else. His voice might stutter and crack if he did. Instead, he took deep breaths and tried to calm himself as she led him around the room.

It was all in his head, he kept telling himself. He was having an anxiety attack for nothing. He continued the battle to put the tunic out of his mind, but failed when he realized that his stomach was churning at more than that. A shield, beaten and battered caused the same reaction, only its reflective surface allowed him to see the frantic look on his face through the rust and scuff marks. He briefly heard Malon's voice call it the "fabled mirror shield" before he was assaulted again by three pairs of gauntlets beside it.

These were followed by an old, dusty ocarina: a broken quiver and bow alongside a strange device that a nearby sign called a 'hookshot.' On and on he saw weapons and other assortments that looked all the same to him: old, rusty, nearly nothing left and yet they still made his heart and lungs do things that convinced him he was about to have a stroke. One other thing-

"Look! Look! It's the megaton hammer!"

-For some, incomprehensible reason-

"They even found the remnants of the bottles he used? How cool is that?"

-Link couldn't help, but feel as if his entire being was on display right along with these items.

"Link, are you even listening to me? Ugh, maybe you would be less of a stick-in-the-mud about this if they had found his Master Sword too! Farore knows that swords are about the only thing that can interest you after all! Well, except for horses, cats, wolves and helping anyone with a sob-story, not to mention…-"

He drowned her out then and clenched his eyes shut: Worst. Museum. Trip. Ever.

He was relieved when they finally left and even bought Malon dinner to make up for his poor participation. By the time he had returned home, the palpitations in his heart had dispersed and he was calm once more. It made Link wonder if maybe he should see the Doctor about a low blood-sugar problem. Once he went to bed that night, he was almost convinced that everything was okay in the world once more.

That's when the dreams started and his inability to get a good night of sleep cursed his daily life. After a certain accident with a crossbeam, Link realized, while at home, relaxing on his couch in a dazed state, that maybe, just maybe, nothing was okay, after all.

And that worried him, though he refused to admit it- At least out loud.

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_**Please review.**_

_**M.L. Groves**_


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